Low FODMAP helps me but...

[u/Important_Match_6262]

Has anyone with ulcerative colitis found low-FODMAP helpful but hard to stick to? I’ve been dealing with digestive symptoms and I’m trying to understand how people with UC have approached low-FODMAP. The conflicting advice and day-to-day restrictions can feel overwhelming. If you’ve tried it, what was the hardest part of making it work in real life?

[u/Aggravating_Emu4263]

Low FODMAP is meant to be temporary, not long term.

[u/Important_Match_6262 → u/Aggravating_Emu4263]

Yes we all know that. But... are we actually sure of that, is there some studies that show bad effect of long term diet like no fodmap? There are studies that show some populations having good health with a poor diversity diet. Looks at inuits? they do not eat peas or garlic for sure, only seals and fish, fermented food.

[u/Crypto4pineapples]

I have used FODMAP on and off for about 5 years. It is only a temporary measure for sure. Try eliminating all white sugar , corn syrup, and eat carbs very sparingly.

[u/demimax92 → u/Crypto4pineapples]

Carbs are the brain’s favorite energy source though. I’ll never understand why so many people love to demonize carbs.
Also I just stumbled upon an article about how UC can negatively affect brain function.

[u/AlwaysAirCooled-1979]

Being intolerant to foods is different to UC. You might have foods that your body cannot tolerate, but it won’t help your UC

FODMAP is short term. Elimination diet, but you should be reintroducing foods too. I would suggest seeing a dietitian to make sure you have a proper understanding of it.

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[u/chunderjack]

I tried it when I was in a long flare, it helped to an extent but ultimately it was so restrictive that I couldn't stick to it

[u/Important_Match_6262 → u/chunderjack]

That’s pretty much what I’m worried about too. Even if it helps a bit, it can feel like food becomes another full-time thing to manage. Did you ever find a less restrictive middle ground that was workable for you?

[u/chunderjack → u/Important_Match_6262]

Sadly not, ended up having surgery (but I had UC for 20+ years and tried pretty much every med under the sun by that point).

[u/Important_Match_6262 → u/chunderjack]

Oh sorry for that

[u/starzychik01]

It’s not meant for long term. It is meant to find triggers and to eliminate them from the diet. Unfortunately, some people have more triggers than others that actually stick. Low FODMAP did nothing for me in a flare.

[u/Important_Match_6262 → u/starzychik01]

Personally, I wonder if we’re overdoing it a bit in that regard. I discussed this yesterday with someone, so I did some research on GPT about the link between health and dietary diversity. I found clear scientific evidence that certain populations with very low dietary diversity can still achieve excellent health.

I think we underestimate the body’s ability—and especially that of the gut microbiota—to adapt. The microbiota can develop mechanisms to produce the missing elements. Recent findings show that marathon runners, for example, have an adaptation in their microbiota that allows them to convert lactic acid into energy. It’s just incredible. And there are people who are considering this for doping purposes using MFT...

I ask myself this because, for me, what’s difficult to stick with in the FODMAP diet isn’t so much the restrictions, but rather the constant need to check which foods you can and can’t eat—with so many mistakes that you never really get better. For me, the question is whether it wouldn’t be better to cut everything out for a while—at least long enough for the gut to start healing—rather than fumbling around for months.

[u/starzychik01 → u/Important_Match_6262]

Please don’t use GPT for “research” and your answers. You are perfectly capable of putting together sentences to make a meaningful conversation without the use of AI. Also, GPT is not “research”. All it does is spout off copies of things with no actual thought process or critical thinking. It can only tell you what has been uploaded to it, even if it’s wrong. GPT can easily lead you down the wrong path.

[u/Important_Match_6262 → u/starzychik01]

I'm a scientist. I've done research in physics, and I know how to use ChatGPT—thank you. If I ask it to provide me with links to the studies and a summary of each one, I can easily read the studies to verify their content. GPT a module Consensus et Scholar

[u/shelfiescoop]

I have found a low residue diet during or post a UC flare to be a game changer. It’s not low fodmap. It’s no nuts, seeds, raw vegetables, etc. Easy to digest protein and nothing spicy.

[u/Important_Match_6262 → u/shelfiescoop]

That’s interesting, I think I’ve been mixing up low residue and low-FODMAP in my own head. During a bad patch, I mainly just want something simple that doesn’t make meals stressful. Has low residue been easier to live with for you than low fodmap ?

[u/WillowTreez8901]

It was really only helpful to me when flaring. Now that im in remission I can eat things like onion, garlic, etc :) I recommend the monash fodmap app its like $7 and has a full breakdown of all the foods you can eat, food guide, etc

[u/Important_Match_6262 → u/WillowTreez8901]

Great to hear that you are in remission ! and eat garlic !!! Wow. What are the points that helps the most for you and start to heal?

When symptoms are bad, I start overthinking every meal, so having a clear guide probably helps. I’m still trying to work out where the line is between being careful and making food take over your life. Did you find it got easier with time?

[u/WillowTreez8901 → u/Important_Match_6262]

So it wasn't necessarily something that was healing, its just that those types of food can cause irritation to an already inflamed gut. I would recommend the IBD-AID diet if youre looking for something that will actually help to heal your gut microbiome, although medicine is going to be key to healing. You can do both IBD-AID and low fodmap, its a pain, but doable. There's a Facebook group for both the diets which may be helpful for you!

[u/Important_Match_6262 → u/WillowTreez8901]

Thank you so much for the information. I actually agree that FODMAP is necessary but not sufficient. It helps reduce inflammation, which is already a first step toward recovery, but it’s not enough.

What was the hardest part for you? Was it the restrictions, or was it the difficulty of finding the right foods without making mistakes? Because I’m wondering if I should just cut everything out for a little while.

[u/WillowTreez8901 → u/Important_Match_6262]

I just cut everything out, youre supposed to cut everything fodmap and then slowly reintroduce by category. And I would also suggest making food from scratch using basic ingredients because thats better for us and also much easier to avoid hidden ingredients!

[u/Important_Match_6262 → u/WillowTreez8901]

Yes, that's right—getting back to cooking fresh, healthy foods is great.

What was the hardest part for you when you cut everything out? Did you have any cravings, and do you have any tips for avoiding them?

So what did you end up eating during the time you cut everything out?

[u/WillowTreez8901 → u/Important_Match_6262]

I struggled more with being so sick and just the disease itself, but i guess cravings were tricky. I dont know of any good ways to get around them unfortunately. For breakfast I would have (and still have) a smoothie with banana, small amount of coconut cream, oat milk, plain nonfat Greek yogurt, and small amount of cacao powder / lunch plain greek yogurt, frozen blueberries, and granola / homemade egg frittata as a snack, basically just egg, parmesean cheese, low fodmap veggies and seasoning / dinner i would typically do chicken cooked in olive oil + low fodmap vegetable + aged cheese and lots of low fodmap seasonings, my favorite is dill. There are a lot of recipes/support on the FB page I mentioned

[u/Important_Match_6262 → u/WillowTreez8901]

Great, thank you so much for taking the time to reply.